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Coping with fear

It's our first enemy in troubled times

The war on terrorism, our leaders tell us, will last for many years. Maybe indefinitely. We are living in wartime, and we need spiritual practices to help us cope with our No. 1 enemy — fear.

Fear is nothing new, of course. Americans have long been fearful about the kidnapping of our children, muggings and car jackings, and thieves breaking into our homes. We worry about what the economy means for our jobs and savings, and we fret over how environmental changes will affect our property and health. And now our list of anxieties has grown to include violence in schools, sniper shootings and terrorist attacks.